Koreans may lose free access to World Cup 2026 as broadcast talks deadlock

Korea men's national football team captain Son Heung-min delivers a cross during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier against Oman at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap

With roughly 80 days until the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off across Canada, Mexico and the United States, talks between cable channel JTBC and Korea's three major terrestrial broadcasters remain deadlocked, raising fears that millions of Koreans could be shut out of free-to-air coverage, as they were during the recent 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

In a statement Monday, the sole domestic rights holder JTBC made a final proposal to split the remaining broadcast fees — after deducting digital resale revenue — with JTBC absorbing 50 percent and KBS, MBC and SBS each covering roughly 16.7 percent. The company also urged the three broadcasters to finalize resale negotiations by month's end, citing logistical deadlines such as commentary booth installation at host venues.

In 2024, JTBC secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 and 2030 men's World Cups and the 2027 Women's World Cup in Korea — paying $125 million for the 2026 tournament alone — then sought to resell them to terrestrial broadcasters. The three networks, however, contend that JTBC broke with industry practice and that the resale fees are unreasonable, leaving talks at an impasse.

Major sporting event rights in Korea have traditionally been acquired jointly through a consortium of the three terrestrial broadcasters to curb fee inflation and ensure universal viewing access. In 2019, JTBC departed from that arrangement, negotiating directly with the International Olympic Committee for exclusive rights to the 2026 through 2032 Summer and Winter Games.

After negotiations with the three broadcasters collapsed over the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, JTBC broadcast the Games exclusively — a development that raised widespread concern over the loss of universal viewing access and dampened public interest in the Games.

Earlier this month, President Lee Jae Myung, speaking at a welcoming luncheon for the Winter Olympics squad, said he would work to reform the system to ensure all Koreans can easily watch major international sporting events.

Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) Chairman Kim Jong-cheol echoed those concerns last month, noting that legal grounds to compel broadcaster negotiations remain extremely limited, with legislation underway to address the gap.

Last week, the KMCC held a roundtable on guaranteeing universal viewing access for major events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, discussing proposals that ranged from expanding free-to-air coverage and strengthening digital accessibility to adopting an events list system designating certain events as being of significant public interest.